Search form

UCLA's Tim Murphy Selected by Texas Rangers in Third Round of MLB Draft

LOS ANGELES - UCLA left-handed pitcher Tim Murphy was selected in the third round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft on Thursday afternoon. Murphy, the 89th overall selection in the draft, became the 34th baseball player in school history to be chosen in the first three rounds.

Murphy, a junior from Vista, Calif., registered a 3.34 ERA, the lowest mark on the Bruins' staff and the fourth-best ERA among all Pac-10 pitchers. Murphy's team-leading totals of 111 strikeouts and 102.1 innings currently rank first and second, respectively, in the Pac-10 Conference.

Murphy finished the 2008 season with a 5-6 record and one save, limiting the opposition to a .227 batting average. The left-hander played an instrumental role in leading the UCLA baseball team to the postseason for three consecutive seasons, the first time that feat has been accomplished in program history.

Murphy had a 22.0 scoreless inning streak snapped in the Fullerton Regional by Virginia (May 30), as the junior allowed just two runs (one earned) and eight hits in 7.2 innings of UCLA's regional-opening 3-2 victory. Murphy had earned back-to-back Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors the previous two weeks.

A former two-sport standout at Rancho Buena Vista High School, Murphy finished the regular season having tossed a complete game shutout against California (May 23). With the effort, Murphy became the first Bruin since Jeff Pries in 1983 to hurl two or more complete game shutouts in one season.

An 11th-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005, Murphy finished his UCLA career with a 4.34 ERA, 10-10 record and 207 strikeouts in 178.1 innings. Averaging 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings over the past two years, Murphy did not pitch at UCLA until his sophomore season (2007).

Murphy becomes the third pitcher in the last three seasons at UCLA under head coach John Savage to have been drafted in the top three rounds. Right-hander Brant Rustich was selected in the second round (93rd overall selection) of the 2007 MLB Draft, and left-hander David Huff was chosen in the supplemental first round (39th overall selection) in 2006.